Basically, there are two major categories in the scope of functional sports supplements: sports supplements and functional beverages.
Sports supplements include foods, beverages, and supplements. They can be used before/after/during an exercise. Some products can decrease the oxidative stress generated during an exercise and alleviate the damages developed in joints and muscles. Some products can facilitate the restoration of energy and the regeneration of muscles. Furthermore, functional beverages include energy drinks and sports drinks. They can be used for regaining energy and electrolytes before/after/during an exercise. Both athletes and consumers are fond of these products now!
Categories of Sports Supplements
Categories of Functional BeveragesIn recent years, people need to regain energy and get nutrition owing to the workout fever, working overtime and staying up late. Therefore sports supplements and functional beverages are not only designed for athletes anymore. Based on the reports from the International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association (IHRSA), the global gym market is currently worth $87.2 billion, and the number of gyms has been increasing by 119% in the past 3 years. There are 174M people currently have a gym membership. According to the China’s Fitness Market Report 2018, there are more than 46K gyms in China, and the number is still growing with the CAGR of 12%, which has great potential for development in the future. Meanwhile, there are 208 marathon races has been held in 2019 in China according to the statistics from the Chinese Athletic Association, which mean the trend has become a hit for modern people. Furthermore, when office workers work overtime or students stay up late for a test, they usually take some energy drinks to regain physical and mental strength. According to the statistics from Forbes, in the top 5 countries, more than 10% of people work for 60 hours per week. And based on the survey conducted by the China Youth International, only 2.66% of college students never stay up late in nights. In summary, there is a tremendous number of potential consumers for sports supplements and functional beverages.
Ranking of working over 60 hours per week, Source: Forbes
The proportion of college students staying up late, Source: China Youth InternationalNowadays, consumers focus on the issues related to “how to live healthier”, and one of the issues is creating a habit of exercising. Therefore the sports supplements market is thriving now and makes the global sports supplements market become so coveted. According to the report from Statista, the size of global sports supplements market was about $50 billion in 2018. It is anticipated that the number of gym- goers will be growing and sports supplements will get closer to general consumers’ demands. Therefore the size of global sports supplements market will reach $81.5 billion in 2023, and the average CAGR will be 9.9% from 2018 to 2023. Compared with the big market, the competition is relatively moderate. Glanbia plc takes the lead by its market share of 14.2%. The interesting thing is that small and medium- sized enterprises have a total market share of 68.6%. This phenomenon indicates that there is big room for expanding and developing in this market. In addition, according to the search counts on the Internet, sports supplements always contribute to a great number of search counts every year. From this we can know that sports supplements are a really hot topic for people in recent years.
The size of global sports supplements market, 2018-2023, Source: Statista
The competition of global sports supplements market (2015), Source: EuromonitorIn common understanding, sports supplements are only for professional athletes. But now common people have become the majority of the consumers. Based on the survey conducted by Euromonitor, professional athletes, sport lovers, and common consumers account for 37%, 27%, and 36% of total consumers for sports supplements in China respectively. The total percentage of non-athletes is 63%. The size of China’s sports supplements market was RMB2.1 billion in 2018, and it is anticipated that its CAGR will be 24% (far higher than the global CAGR, 11%). Although the market size is not tremendous now, the growth is remarkably fast in the future. It is anticipated that the market size will reach RMB6 billion in 2023. The heated competition between those big names entering this market also shows the potential for development in the future. In addition, according to the statistics of search counts collected by Lumina Intelligence, the top 3 countries which are showing interest in sports supplements are China, the US, and Russia. One noticeable thing is that the total search counts on the Internet in China are 3 times higher than the US. Consumers express a huge interest in these products.
The competition of China’s sports supplements market (2018), Source: Euromonitor
The global search counts on the Internet for sports supplements (by country), Source: lumina intelligenceThe global functional beverage market is still growing. It is anticipated to reach $94 billion in 2019 according to the report from Statista. Among the statistics, the global energy drink market will reach $63 billion and $85 billion in 2020 and 2025 respectively. The average CAGR will be 7% from 2018 to 2025. There are two giants monopolize this market: Red Bull (45%) and Monster (40%). Based on the online popularity survey conducted by Keyword Tool, the search counts for energy drinks were hot and stable with a growth rate of 25% in the past year. Therefore if you want to have a place in this competitive market, find the best Sports Supplement Manufacturer to have an attractive product for consumers will be an excellent start for you.
The size of global energy drinks market, 2015 & 2020, Source:Statista
The competition of global energy drinks market, Source: Insight SurveyAlthough the development of functional sports beverage industry started late, its potential and growth rate should not be underestimated. According to the insight reports from Euromonitor, the overall sales of functional sports beverage in China are the second-largest sales across the globe after the US. In addition, the average consumption of China’s consumers is only 1.9 L per year (the US is 23.4 L). The overall sales will become more stunning if the market grows and steps in the maturity phase. In 2017, the size of China’s functional beverage market reached RMB60 billion and it is anticipated to step into the maturity phase. It will reach RMB110 billion by the CAGR of 8% in 2025. Among all products, energy drinks account the vast majority of the sales – in 2017, it contributed to RMB50 billion of the overall sales of RMB60 billion. The competition is relatively fierce and Red Bull monopolizes this market. Its market share is around 30%. In such competitive market, having a product with better functionality and flavor will become more and more crucial for fitting consumer’s needs.
The size and the trend of China’s functional beverages market (2017), Source: Euromonitor
The competition of China’s functional beverages market, Source: EuromonitorAccording to the statistics from Lumina Intelligence, in 2018, more than 75% of sports supplements products use animal products. But owing to allergy, vegetarianism, health issues, and moral issues, more and more consumers want to choose vegan proteins instead. Based on the insights into search counts from Google Trends, the search counts have been increasing from 2014 to 2019. In addition, according to the anticipation from Mordor Intelligence, the global vegan protein market will reach $7.5 billion in 2024 with an average CAGR of 7%. From this we can know vegan proteins will become a promising trend in the future. For example, the vegan protein products made by Orgain and Myprotein are from soybeans, peas, and brown rice.
The sources of proteins used for sports supplements, Source: Lumina Intelligence
The global search counts on the Internet for vegan proteins, Source: Google trendThe major ingredients of traditional sports supplements include proteins, vitamins, and minerals. But based on the report from Lumina Intelligence, probiotics recently create whole new potential for the development of sports supplements. Many new studies have demonstrated that probiotics can improve training efficiency and sport performance of athletes by advancing digestive functions or improving immunity (e.g. facilitate lipid degradation, shorten recovery period, relieve painful feelings, and fight against inflammation). Based on the paper published by Ralf Jäger and his partners in 2018, probiotics can reduce muscle soreness and improve the recovery efficiency of muscle. These effects are caused by better digestion and absorption of nutrition which are improved by the assistance of probiotics to the digestive system and facilitate the restoration of muscle tissues. Now there is a variety of sports supplements available on the market, for example, the protein powders with probiotics made by MRM and Schinoussa.
Probiotics can relieve exercise-induced painful feeling, Source: Ralf Jäger et al. 2018 Dec
Probiotics can increase recovery of muscles, Source: Ralf Jäger et al. 2018 DecTraditional energy drinks usually contain caffeine, taurine, and B vitamins which are considered as additives for a drink. But in recent years, there is a frenzy of using herbal extraction and natural ingredients from fruits and vegetables for pigments and flavoring. This frenzy also motivates the launch of many new products and new flavors. For example, Kuli Kuli Moringa Green Energy Shots (Ginger Lemon) contain vitamin-rich moringa extract, green tea extract, ginger extract, concentrated lemon juice, sunflower lecithin, tapioca syrup, and sweetleaf extract; Uni-President Power in Nature Herbal Energy Drinks contain concentrated grape juice, carotene, green tea concentrate, ginseng, and Aspalathus linearis (rooibos). Furthermore, the search counts for “herbal” stay at a high level with a growth rate of 50% based on the statistics from Keyword Tool. We believe that those effective ingredients with good flavors will become a popular trend in the future.
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